Fri, 12 Nov 1999

Threshold Theatre on tour

/Threshold Theatre auf Tournee

By Christian von Arnim

London, 12 November (NNA) - The recently founded theatre company “threshold theatre” is starting the new millennium with a European tour of Peter Shaffer's comedy “Lettice and Lovage”. The ensemble will tour England and Ireland from 17 January to 5 February and England and Europe from 17 April to 7 May.

Venues already confirmed include the Cotswold Playhouse, Stroud (18 January), the Botton Village Camphill community (23 January), Elmfield School in Stourbridge (26 January), Chequer Mead Theatre, East Grinstead (28 January), Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells, Wales (29 Janunary), and Rudolf Steiner House, London (2 February).

The company was established by its co-founders Sarah Kane from Britain and Joerg Andrees from Germany (Berlin) specifically for this project with the express purpose of working with the techniques for actors developed by the Russian actor and theatre teacher Michæl Chekhov. Joerg Andrees is directing the production.

threshold theatre does not intend to disband after this production but to continue as a theatre ensemble working with the Chekhov method.

“Lettice and Lovage” - which deals with the encounter between Lettice Douffet, indefatigable enthusiast of English History and The Theatre and not averse to embellishing historical fact to make it more interesting, and Lotte Schoen, devotee of unvarnished fact - was chosen by threshold theatre because it was particularly suited to Chekhov's understanding of the actor's craft and his specific approach to creating character, revealing both the humour and profundity in the comedy. At the same time the richness and depth of the play's language make it particularly suitable for the Chekhov approach.

In contrast to many other productions of the play, which focus mainly on the character of Lettice, this production specifically concentrates on the relationship between the two women revealing new facets of both characters. “In the positivity of the other, each of the women can shine in her true light,” is how the company sums up the relationship.

The ensemble also runs regular workshops on Chekhov's “innovative and spiritual approach” to the creative process of acting, as threshold theatre describes it. Chekhov, nephew of the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, and the leading actor of his generation in Russia who was described as “Stanislavski's most gifted pupil”, was inspired in his technique by encounters with spiritual movements which included Anthroposophy.

Chekhov worked with figures such as the renowned German actor and director Max Reinhardt and in Hollywood in the 1940s he taught actors including Anthony Quinn, Marylin Monroe, Gregory Peck and Jack Palance.

One of the objectives of threshold theatre's work is to document the rehearsal process of the current project as a reference source for the Michæl Chekhov Centre UK and the Michail Tschechow-Studio Berlin.

Peter Shaffer's best known plays include “Five Finger Exercise” (1958); “The Royal Hunt of the Sun” (1964); “Equus” (1973) and “Amadeus” (1979), which was turned into an award-winning film in 1984. Lettice and Lovage (1987) was written for the British actress Maggie Smith.

ENDS

For bookings and enquiries contact Elizabeth Willson, tel.: +44 (0)1342 822482. threshold theatre can also be contacted at the Michæl Chekhov Centre UK, 1 St. Paul's Road, London N1 2QH, UK. Tel.: +44 (0)171 226 4454, fax: +44 (0)1392 364324, email: skane@chekhovcentre.freeserve.co.uk

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N991112-01EN Date: 12 November 1999

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